Concrete Defense: Goldman Sachs Assesses Emerging Markets’ Resilience to AI Unemployment

Apocalyptic scenarios of AI unemployment require geographic correction. On August 14, 2026, investment bank Goldman Sachs published a macroeconomic analysis proving that developing countries (using India as an example) are far less exposed to the risk of job losses from neural networks than Western nations.

The secret to this immunity lies in the structure of employment. Over 40% of the population in emerging markets is employed in the physical economy—construction, logistics, traditional retail, and agriculture. Generative algorithms are powerless to lay bricks or unload trucks. The main blow of AI automation (Agentic AI) will fall on the service sector: classic IT outsourcing, copywriting, and call centers will be ruthlessly purged. For investors, this report acts as an indicator: capital will flow to countries with a high share of physical production, as they are protected from social explosions caused by structural technological unemployment.

Source: Goldman Sachs / The Edge Singapore